Chapter 12—Character Building
“Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will
liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall
be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew
7:24-27
.
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The great work of parents and teachers is character building; it is to
seek to restore the image of Christ in those who are placed under their
care. A knowledge of the sciences sinks into insignificance beside
this great aim; but all true education may be made to help in the
development of a righteous character. The formation of character is
the work of a lifetime, and it is for eternity. If all could realize this, if
they would awaken to the thought that we are individually deciding our
own destiny and the destinies of our children for eternal life or eternal
ruin, what a change would take place! How differently would this
probationary time be occupied, and what different characters would
fill our world!
The question that comes home to each of us is, Upon what founda-
tion am I building? We have the privilege of striving for immortal life;
and it is of the greatest importance that we dig deep, removing all the
rubbish, and build on the immovable, solid Rock, Christ Jesus. He is
the sure foundation. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ.” In him alone is our salvation. “There is
none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved.”
The foundation firmly laid, we need wisdom that we may know
how to build. When Moses was about to erect the sanctuary in the
wilderness, he was cautioned, “See that thou make all things according
to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.” In his law God has given
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